MelloxNear Story
by Soul The Second
Summary: Mello is the most popular boy in Wammy's. Until one day Near arrives and steals his heart. How will Mello say no to the sweet seduction named Near?
1. The new boy

Every day routine: wake up at seven, breakfast, school, football, homework, biking, tv, sleep

Every day routine: wake up at seven, breakfast, school, football, homework, biking, tv, sleep. Today I don't expect it to be any different. Unless Matt is sick of course, then it'll be boring.

My name is Mihael Keehl, but I'd rather have you call me Mello. I'm an orphan at Wammy's House. I could say that I'm pretty popular, along with my friend Mail Jeevas, also known as Matt. The rest of the kids here respect us because we're smart, we're strong, we're cool.

We're called the Golden Duo because we're best buds and together most of the time.

I'm 12 years old right now, 12 years, 10 months, 18 days, 4 hours and 46 minutes to be precise!

"I still can't understand how Cornflakes can taste good if you eat it with chocolate milk, Mello."

"Well then try it! It's not that bad, in fact, it's delicious!"

Matt shook his head. "No thanks, unlike yours, my stomach can't stand everything I eat."

Mello shook his head. "Your loss, man.. Your loss!"

Matt laughed and shook his head, he had already finished his food and was behind his portable Nintendo again.

"What level are you now?"

"12. That damn bully from yesterday stopped me from going any further."

"Well, we showed him not to mess with us, didn't we? Now stop whining and beat Bowser's ass already!" The blonde grinned, peeking at his friend's handiwork. Matt's hands were fast. His fingers shifted from left to right, from the x button to the o button.

"You just finish your cornflakes already, we're going to miss the bus and then The Big Boss will get mad at us again.."

Mello laughed. He laughed so hard the rest of the orphans that were in the dining room were staring at him. He grabbed the bowl, finished the rest of the cornflakes in one gulp, stood up, grabbed Matt's arm, grabbed their bags and raced towards the exit.

"Great Matt, now we're first, dude we're gonna look like a couple of geeks!" Mello complained, dumping his self next to Matt.  
"What're you complaining about? We didn't miss the bus and we ate breakfast. How can we look like geeks? Unless you're going to iread/i of course.."  
"Oh shut up, twithead! Can't I complain once in a while?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Maaaaatt!! I'm gonna kill you!" Mello strangled Matt.  
The gamer only laughed and pushed Mello off. "But you're just like a girl having her period! You eat chocolate all the time and you're so grumpy" Matt snickered as he put a lollipop in his mouth. Mello rolled his eyes, unwrapped a chocolate bar and sucked on it.

There they were, sitting next to each other and sucking on sweets.

"Clearance, C minus ", "Matt, B" The teacher paused and handed Matt his work.

"Ah, and of course, as expected, Mello an A" The teacher grinned, winked at Mello and gave him his work back.

"Some of you have really disappointed me! I've expected much better from you. You must realize that you are here to become L's successor. Homework like this may seem unimportant, but being selected as a successor requires intelligence! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Take Mello as an example and work as hard as him!" The teacher lectured the class.  
Mello only grinned. He had this one in the bag. He was going to be the successor of L and nothing was going to stop him. He was the top student anyway. He could feel the rest of the class staring at him. Yeah, he was smart, and he felt great about it.

"You did it again! You did it again!" Matt grinned as he pulled out his Gameboy on the bus back home. "I just got lucky" The blonde replied, grinning and stretching, he folded his hands behind his head. Matt frowned and rubbed his knuckles against Mello's head. "Why won't you just admit you studied your ass off?!"  
"Ouchiee!! Fine! Fine! I studied my ass off!!" Mello admitted, pushing Matt's fist off.

The redhead rolled his eyes and chuckled. "And you were the one that didn't want to look like a geek…"  
The bus stopped.

"Yeah, well, Whatever!" Mello answered frustrated. Matt laughed, and Mello laughed along.

They wrapped their arms around each other's shoulder and walked off to their room.

"Hey Mello…. What is a third bed doing in our room?.." Matt asked a little anxious, after entering as first in their room.

"Another bed? I dunno…. Do you think there might be a new guy?"

"Might be… What kind of guy could it be?"

Mello lifted his shoulders.  
A boy walked towards them. "Mello! Matt! Everyone is called to the Dining Room, there's someone new! Everyone must gather around."  
And the boy walked off, followed by Matt and Mello, who would meet their new roommate.

"Dammit" Matt muttered, "Now we don't even have time for ourselves.."

Mello snickered, enjoying Matt's frustration.

Arms linked, they entered the Dining Room. Everyone had taken a seat and so they did the same.

The Old Man in charge also known as The Big Boss or Roger was standing at the other end of the room, his hand resting on the shoulder of a small boy with platinum white hair. He didn't look at anyone, he looked at the floor instead, his fingers of one hand tangled in his hair. Mello formed a small smile on his face. Damn, it was a cute sight.

"You might have noticed already that we have a new one between us. This is Near. Be sure to be nice to him and give him a warm welcome. He will be the new roommate of Matt and Mello. Come on you two, help your new friend and his luggage up to your room and show him around."  
Matt snarled. Clearly not wanting to, but he got up and walked towards Near. It took Mello a while to realize he should follow. He should learn to stop gawking. He stumbled after Matt and rubbed the back of his head. Near was short. Really short. He just reached the length to Mello's shoulder. The blonde bit his lip to stop himself from screaming it looked cute, he looked off hiding his face behind his hair. What was he even thinking?

The little boy looked up at the two taller and older boys, his eyes were dark. Mello had the feeling his eyes pierced right through him. He gasped softly.

A smile formed on the boy's lips. He looked pretty tired. A little boy who would easily fall asleep on someone's lap. "Where to?….." His soft voice spoke.

"Our room, follow me." Matt walked up front and Near followed.

Mello walked at the back, behind Near, carrying his luggage. He had a clear view of Near's back, which was bended slightly. i'Can't he walk straight?'/i Mello couldn't help but to think it.

Matt held the door open for the other two. Near eyed the room, still tangling his hair between his fingers. "Which bed is mine?" He asked as he sat on Mello's bed.  
"That one." Matt nodded to the new bed. "Believe me, you don't want to sleep on that bed, it smells like chocolate.." Matt grinned. Near sniffed and grimaced. The strong dark smell of chocolate filling his nostrils. Matt laughed at the boy's expression. Mello pouted. "I get hungry in the middle of the night, okay?!"

"You'll get fat if you do.. In the middle of the night your body needs rest and it will be harder for your body to digest the chocolate and burn the high amount of calories while your asleep. You'll gain weight because of the extra amount of calories, which can't be used. Though chocolate is good for your health too since it decreases the chance to die by a half, although you must've overdone it. But I think you've actually ate so much that the drug part of the chocolate had it's effect on you and you're addicted, seen the fact that chocolate contains a chemical which can also be found in marijuana, though only in uvery/u little amount."

Silence.

"……..How iold/i are you?..." Mello asked staring at the little fella.

"Ten.." He gazed at the floor. "Why?" He looked straight at him.

Matt's jaw dropped, he was staring at the kid like he had seen an alien, and he started to believe he was one too.

Near looked at the two as if he had said something over-obvious, he walked to the closet and filled the empty drawer with his small amount of clothes and his toys.

Mello and Matt stood next to each other not really knowing what to do or say.

"Weeeeelll…." Matt begun. "We're supposed to show you around, right?" Mello finished.

Near smiled again. "Don't bother, I've already seen most of it. I thought a little investigation wouldn't do harm."  
Mello opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "Errr. Well.. Erm… Matt and I are going to play a little football, want to come along?"

"No thank you… I don't wish to be attacked by a bunch of guys running after a ball. Have fun, though.."  
The blonde and the redhead looked at each other with questioning looks. They looked once more at the platinum white and left the room. This guy was weird.

"Goooaaal!!" The blonde high-fived the redhead. Mello wiped the sweat off with his shirt and got back in his position. "I like you and all, Mello, but if you won't let me score this time, I swear I'll steal and sell your chocolate to Roger!" Matt smirked, Mello only snickered. "Fine, you jackass!"  
Matt ran towards the goal, switching the ball from his left foot to his right foot, dodging the guys who ran towards him, followed by Mello, who blocked their way. "Super Mario Kiiiiicckk!!" He shouted and shot the ball towards the goal. The ball shot to the pole and bounced into the goal. A wave of cheering sounds was heard. The blonde jumped on the back of Matt. "AND THE WINNER IIIIS: MARIOOO!!" He laughed, nearly falling off of Matt's back. "But only thanks to his Princess Peach!!" Matt grinned in reply.  
"Why you little son of a-… Son of a… A YOSHI!!"  
"Haahahahaa! I'm just joking! I swear!!"  
"Shut up and carry me to our room, Matthew!!"

They both laughed and left the others, going towards their room, Mello being carried on the back of Matt, singing 'We are the champions' the whole time.

"Near! Near!! We won!! We beat their asses!!" Mello slammed the door open. His eyes grew big. "Err.. Matt?"  
"What?" "Since when is our room a Lego castle deluxe?"  
Matt entered the room and looked around. Their entire room was transformed into a castle of Lego's. There were four towers and on each tower their was a Transformers action figure guarding the gigantic plastic building.

In the middle of the castle their was a puzzle, only missing two pieces. Mello carefully entered the room, as did Matt, trying to reach their beds.  
"Dude. Wow. What the hell?.."  
Mello looked at a tower in front of his bed. He put the Megatron action figure away safe and then wrecked the tower. "There. Much better." He grinned.  
"You're so cruel. He'll cry once he sees, you know?"  
"Oh please, he can rebuild i-" "SHH!!" Matt cut him off.  
"What?" Mello whispered. Matt pointed at a corner behind one of the towers. "Seems Optimus Prime was guarding something else…" he snickered.  
The blonde stumbled to where the redhead was and held in a laughter when seeing the sight.  
Near had fallen asleep in a corner, holding something tightly in his little fist. His clothes were all raffled and his mouth was a little open. Mello stumbled to the little boy and carefully opened his fist. He was holding the last two missing pieces of the puzzle. "Awww. Couldn't you just eat him, Mello?" Matt snickered, followed by his friend who snickered along. "Watch out Little Lamb Near, Big Bad Wolf Mello wants to eat you!" Matt laughed silently. Mello stuck his tongue out to Matt and carefully lifted the Little Lamb. He set the small figure on his bed.

"Shit! Matt! Help!"  
"What? What's wrong?!"  
"He won't let go of me!"

The white haired boy had grabbed Mello's collar and wouldn't let go. If it weren't for the fact that Mello thought he was cute, he would've hit his hand off. But he couldn't. He glanced at Matt, who was grabbing his stomach and biting his hand to stop himself from laughing out loud. "Matt, you bitch! Come here!" "It seems he wants to be eaten by you, Hot Beast that you are, rawwr " Matt laughed as silent as he could, tears forming in his eyes.  
"Aww, you moron! I hate you!" Mello snarled, giving in and lying next to Near.  
"Ohhhh! Mello! Getting ready?" Matt grinned. "No you moron! But I can't bend the whole time, my back'll hurt, you stupid jerk!"  
Matt grinned and accompanied the two. Two people yawned at the same time.  
They were both tired. "Hey, do you think it's okay if we sleep like this?" "Yeah, of course. He won't let you go, will he? So it's his fault. And I'm just your Siamese twin, so I'm here too." "Thanks man." "You're welcome, retard." "Goodnight jerk." "G'night ma'am" "Matt!".  
Soft laughter…

And there they were. The redhead, the blonde and the platinum white. The little boy lying in between the two friends, a small smile forming on his lips. Feeling the two bodies relaxed next to him, he let go of the blonde's shirt and entered a world of wonderful dreams.


	2. Near's questioning

BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEEP!!BEE-! WHAM!!  
"Finally!" The boy grunted. The blonde snuggled closer to the figure next to him. It was quite soft and smelled nice and pretty small actually. He liked it and held the thing in his arms. i'I'll just skip a few classes.. Like I need them…'/i

"…st….nk.."  
Mello opened his eyes. "What?" He looked at the figure. i'It talks?'/i  
The figure took form and a Near who just woke up muttered again "You stink….. Let go of me…."

"WAAAH!!" He took great distance and fell off of the bed. "It's Matt's fault!!"

"Hm? What is his fault?"  
"That.. That I was sleeping next to you.."  
"….Okay."

Mello frowned. He wasn't even surprised or mad at the least. He sniffed and grimaced. "Ewl! What's that smell?!"  
"That would be your body odour"  
"Hah! No way! How can I small so bad?"

"He's right Mello" Came from the back. "You do stink. You didn't take a shower yesterday after football."  
Matt was standing by the door with only a towel around his waist and a small one on his head.

"Oh…Oh yeah. Heh. Sorry. I'll take a shower now, Little Lamb."  
"Excuse me?"  
"I-.. I meant NEAR!!" Mello said in a rush and raced off to the showers.  
"Is he always so stupid?"  
Matt laughed and nodded. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while.."

When Mello finished showering and got dressed, the three of them went to the Dining Room to get some breakfast. "And the best thing about it is: If you finish your plate you get a chocolate bar!" Mello grinned. "Yeah, and that's how Mello became the eating champion!" Matt laughed. Near frowned, "For a chocolate bar?" "Absolutely!"

Near raised his eyebrows and stared at his plate, he ate slowly, unlike the blonde and the redhead, who were clearly racing. Near stared at them. Mello was faster, that was for sure. It was as if he wasn't even chewing on his food. Like a snake..

"Done!" they both yelled at the same time, Matt still swallowing the little bits he was chewing. "I won!" "No way! I so was first!"  
"….Mello won."

They fell silent and looked at their new roomy. "What?"  
"Mello won. He ate faster and you just swallowed your food, while Mello was completely finished. And your plate has more crumbles than Mello's, which makes you the loser, Matt."

Mello grinned. "I've got a genius on my side!" He wrapped his arm around Near's shoulder. "Give up already! I always win! And now I've got reinforcement!"

Near looked away, not knowing what to say. He twirled his hair between his index finger and his thumb. His eyes grew wide when Mello leaned his head against his.  
He could hear Matt laugh. "Sexually harassing Near already?" He joked. "Shut up, you're just jealous!" Mello backfired. Near sighed, and slowly shrugged Mello's arm off. "Mello, you're making my head hurt.." he muttered. "Yeah Mello, you're stone-hard head makes Near's little head hurt." Matt grinned. Mello pouted and sat up straight.  
Near finally finished his plate after a while, listening to the conversations of his two roommates. He could only conclude one thing: These guys were a bunch of moronic tards.

"Good boys! Here's your bar of chocolate!" A nanny said, handing a chocolate bar to each one of them. "And I got you a little present too, Mello" She spoke, giving him a small present.

Mello grinned. "Thanks nanny!"  
The woman smiled happy and walked off. "You're popular with the adults too?"  
Mello grinned. "Of course I am. Everybody loves me!" Matt snickered, "You're such an egocentric jackass, Mello!" The blonde only grinned as a reply. The two boys ate their bar of chocolate while Near only stared at it.  
"What's wrong? Don't like chocolate?"  
"No… I.. never had chocolate before… actually…"

"WHAT?!" The buddies yelled of surprise.  
"Never?" "Never never?!"  
Mello looked shocked at Near and then hugged him. "Oh you poor, poor little boy, it's alright, here.." He unwrapped Near's bar and held it in front of his face.  
Near stared at the bar. "I'm not sure if my stomach can handle that…"

"Don't talk bullshit, Near! It's like heaven! Taste it!" He spoke trying to open Near's mouth.  
Near eventually gave into the determined blonde and opened his mouth. Mello fed him.  
Near chewed on the piece of chocolatey goods while being watched by anxious eyes.

"And?" Matt asked, staring intently at the platinum white as Near swallowed his chew-work.  
The small boy covered his mouth with his sleeve and seemed to be thinking, his eyes seemed glued to the table. All the while the other two were waiting for a response and kept staring at him, Matt's mouth opened a little and Mello nervously biting on his own bar.

"It's good.." he muttered softly, still covering his mouth.  
Mello yelled a good "YES!!" and Matt grinned. "Be sure not to turn addicted as Mello!"  
The little boy faintly smiled, removing his sleeve from in front of his face.  
Mello stared at his cheek and leaned towards Near. Both Matt and Near froze.  
"Mello, what're you doing?" The redhead asked first. Both their eyes grew wide as Mello licked Near's cheek.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"What?" The blonde asked, "There was chocolate on his cheek!"  
Near's face had turned a light shade of pink, he touched his nose with his index finger and tilted his head a little.

"You ADDICT!!" Matt laughed and slammed his fist on the table.

"…Where's the bus?"

"It should be here by now… ten minutes ago…"  
"The bus is late.. What the hell, this never happened before!"

"Hey guys!" A girl came running their way.  
"Hi Linda!" Matt shined. Mello rolled his eyes.  
Linda smiled back. "Hi! Don't wait for the bus, it's not coming. We're off today."  
"What? Why?" The blonde asked rather surprised.  
"Because Roger wanted us to get to know Near better, that's why."

Mello, Matt and Linda looked at Near. The little boy who was being looked at didn't notice. He was studying a bug which had fallen over and couldn't get back on it's feet.

"Ehe. Cool." Matt grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "Well, let's go!" the redhead starting walking ahead with Linda.  
"Fucking hell…" Mello muttered.  
Near helped the bug and then walked to Mello. "Why are you angry?"  
"I'm not really angry.. it's just that every time that girl's around, Matt totally forgets about me!"  
"…. Thank you're jealous?"  
"What? No!"  
"Than what is it?"  
Mello remained silent and looked at the boy, as soon as they had eye contact, Near looked away. The blonde sighed.  
"Look, I don't know myself either, okay? I just find that girl annoying, I guess."  
"Maybe… You're in love with Matt?"  
A silence fell.

….

….

….

….

"Are you nuts?" Mello laughed. "Who the hell would fall for that jerk? I mean, always behind his gameboy and mocking ume/u. No way, dude."  
Near raised his shoulders. "Maybe that's what you find lovely about him.. Unconsciously."  
Mello raised his eyebrows. "Man, you're confusing. If manipulating it's self was a job, you'd be the perfect ma-… bóy for it.."  
The boy smiled. "Thanks."

"How old are you?" A girl asked.  
"I'm ten years old.." Near answered.

The girl looked disappointed in a way and pouted.  
"Do you like to play football?" A boy asked.  
"Not really…" Near answered.

The boy frowned, looking as if he didn't hear right.

"Do you like art?" Linda asked, hugging her knees.  
"Sometimes.." Near looked at the ground. "Not always.."  
Linda smiled happy, hiding her face behind her knees.

"Why do you always sit like that?" Another boy asked.  
Near just shrugged as an answer.

"Why do you always twirl your hair?"  
"Because I can think better that way.." Near sighed and twirled his hair again.

"What's your favourite sweet?" a girl asked, putting a gummi bear in her mouth.  
"It's….. I think it's chocolate…" Near answered, eyes aimed straight at the floor.  
Mello grinned like and idiot and chewed on his chocolate, peeking at Near from the corner of his eye.

"Hey!" A boy suddenly spoke, "You look like L! Are you… family of his?!"  
Gasps were heard all over and everybody intently stared at him. Mello's chocolate bar fell out of his mouth.

It did look that way. The eyes, the hair, the weird sitting habits. Suddenly that answer was the most important answer of that moment. Was Near L's family?  
Mello didn't know why, but at that moment, his hands started to shake slightly. Was his roommate possibly the child, brother, nephew or whatever of his biggest idol L?  
Was this a possible replica of the man he admired so much?


	3. Temptation

There was a painful silence in the common room

There was a painful silence in the common room. Everyone was looking at the little boy sitting in the middle of the group. Little comments were exchanged and huge eyes formed themselves.

The little boy stared at the floor. "Who knows…" He muttered.  
Everyone fell silent for a sec and then gasped. Loud conversations were being held while Mello stared at his friend like a zombie. Everything in front of his eyes became blurry.  
"Everyone here could be his relative, not just me."  
Again a silence. "We're not orphans for nothing are we? Some of you might be here because L wants to be close to his relatives and take care of them."  
Realization hit every single one of them on the head. "Maybe you're a relative of L!!" "You think?!" "No way!" "He's right, ya know?!"

Mello kept staring at Near, he fell backwards and landed on a chair. _'No…That can't be.. L and Near are totally different!'_

His thoughts made his head hurt. He hung his head lightly and kept staring in front of him. "L.." He muttered.

"Hey, man. You okay?" He recognized the voice of his dearest friend, Matt. Matt placed a hand on Mello's shoulder and squeezed it. He was the only one who knew what L really meant to Mello. Mello nodded a little. "I'm fine… So what if he's… he's…" He couldn't get the word over his lips. Why was he so upset about it? "Mello… Let's go to our room, okay?"  
"No." "Mello, c'mon. This isn't good for your temper.."

"Matt." "Yeah?" "Shut up."  
Matt fell silent. If Mello said no it was no. He sat down next to his friend and peeked at him from time to time. Mello leaned his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.

Mello stayed where he was. All day long he just sat there. Matt had stayed by his side. But eventually he too had to leave. Roger took him along to ask him what was wrong. But Matt didn't answer, he know he just couldn't. If he had told Roger, Roger would want to speak to Mello. His blonde friend would surely not like that, so he just raised his shoulders and said "He's just thinking about a problem he couldn't solve in class. And now it's bothering him."  
After that, Matt waited for Mello to recover. He knew Mello wouldn't say anything about it, but he stayed. He was his loyal friend after all.

"Mello?..." A small voice asked. In the doorway, Near was standing with a neutral face. His eyes aimed on Mello directly. The blonde shivered and just shifted a little with his feet.  
Near walked towards his two friends and sat down in front of them. On the floor.  
"What's wrong?.."  
Mello looked at the small boy. Their eyes met. Mello kept staring. 'What the hell… What am I worrying about? What is this?'  
"Are you.. really L's blood relative?"  
For the first real time a smile formed on the lips of the little boy. "No. I didn't say that.."

"But you said you might…"

"Doesn't mean I am.."  
Matt looked at the two and saw Mello's expression change. Mello's expression went from worried to dazed. "But you said-.."  
"That everyone could be his relative, not just me… Yes, I said that to confuse them.. It seems it had a big impact on you too.."

Matt held back a grin. "Didn't see that one coming.." The redhead blurted out.

Mello smiled. "Of course.. Why _didn't_ I see that one coming?"  
Matt and Mello laughed, Matt laughed of relief and Mello laughed his guilt off. Had he actually hated Near for being a _possible_ relative of L?  
In his mind he slapped his self.

During the rest of the day, they were being stared at. Mello was used to it, Near didn't care but Matt seemed to be bothered about it.  
"I swear to you there eyes were like this big!" He imitated what he saw. "Even when we walked away it felt as if their eyes stabbed me in the back!"  
Mello laughed at his friend. "Ah, you dumbass. Aren't you used to it with me around?"

"But normally they just talk to us and now they're all like… Like… iOmg! It's THE Mello!! Quick, make room!/i It's SO annoying!"  
"Ah shut up already. I don't mind being pampered.."

Near sighed. "Just ignore them if you can't like them, Matt.."  
Matt sat down, defeated. "It's so easy for you guys!" He wined.

"YES!! Let's eat! I'm starving!!" The redhead jumped up as soon as the clock hit 6.

Mello and Near followed the starving dog at a slow pace, both not wanting to move much.

"Oi.. Near.."  
"Hm? .. Yes, Mello?.."  
"If you apparently _were_ L's relative.. You'd tell me.. Right?"  
Near sighed. "Does it bother you that much? .. I thought you were fine with it now.."  
"I'm just asking!" Mello scowled.  
A moment of silence fell. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to.." The blonde apologized.

"That's alright… I would tell you, Mello. Fine now?"  
"Yes! Thanks!" He grinned, enlacing his fingers behind his head.

As they entered the dining hall, they saw a couple of 30 children waiting for them.

They sat next to each other, Mello sitting opposite of Matt and Near of a girl he didn't know.

Immediately a couple of ten kids fired questions at them. "Hey Mello, wanna hang out tomorrow?" "Hey Mello, you know there's a game coming up this Friday, let's go together!"  
"Mello! I've seen this awesome dog! You should see it too!" "Mello! Could you help me with my homework?"  
And even Matt was victim. "Hey Matt! I have this awesome game I have to show you!"  
"Naw, man! His stinks! I've got a new Gameboy ánd new games! Wanna check out?"

And again Matt was the one who answered to the over enthusiastic fans. "Okay! Sure!"  
Mello sighed and just ate his food. He didn't even mind thinking about why they even tried.  
He shrugged them off with only a "I'm tired, I don't want to do anything" and drank some water. He glanced at Near.

The small boy ate while twirling his hair with his other hand, he didn't seem bothered by the crowd offering them stuff of all sorts. What Mello also noticed was that everyone who were talking to Mello and Matt were peeking at Near. He lifted his eyebrows. What the hell was everyone thinking?

After dinner Matt went with a group of boys who wanted to show him their games after apologizing to Mello quite some times. Mello only rolled his eyes and punched him once before grinning. So after dinner, Near and Mello were alone in their room.  
The blonde rubbed his neck as he sat on his bed, feeling slightly tensed. Matt was gone and still he secretly felt a sort of fear for his company. An awkward silence filled the place.

Near was playing with his puzzle again, placing one piece after another without looking at it twice. In no time, his puzzle was complete and all Mello could do was stare.  
"You're pretty good at that.." he whispered, eyeing the boy.

Near looked up at Mello with a drowsy look. "Do you want to try it too?.."  
For a second, Mello could swear he was looking at L and his heart started pumping harder.

He nodded quickly and sat down on the floor, next to Near.

Near threw the puzzle over, the pieces scattering on the floor. He placed the empty board on the floor. "You try.." He muttered, resting his hand on his knee and his cheek on the back of his hand. Mello bit his lip as he picked up a piece. It was a corner piece, but the puzzle was blank, so which corner was it? He couldn't do anything but shift his eyes from the puzzle to the empty board.

A piece was set beneath a spot where a corner piece should fit. Mello looked at Near, who smiled at him. The blonde blushed and hid his face quickly behind his golden locks. He placed the corner piece above Near's piece and they fit perfectly.  
"They match.." Near muttered. Mello could only nod as response and picked up a new piece. The younger boy set a piece in the board and Mello placed the fitting piece next to it.

As the puzzle became more complete, Mello would put more and more pieces, leaving only a few for Near. But the last piece was going to be set by Near, right in the middle, the heart of the puzzle. Clearly, Mello had other ideas, he took Near's hand in his and guided him to the last empty space there was left. A very soft thump confirmed that they filled that space together.

A long silence filled the room, their hands remained on the puzzle. Slowly, almost shyly their eyes met. The older clearly shy and the younger insecure. Their faces were really close and suddenly Mello noticed all sort of details about the boy. His eyes.. His eyes looked empty from a distance, but up close, they were amazing. As if tiny sparkled were hidden in his eyes.  
His nose was small and cute, and he felt the urge to kiss it. His cheeks were slight pink and they looked extremely soft, he wanted to touch it. But his hand wouldn't move, his hand couldn't move away from the younger's, it felt too good. And then… his lip. Pink attractive soft looking lips. He leaned forward, he couldn't stop himself. No, he didn't want to stop himself…..

"NEAAAARRRR!!" BAM!! Matt pulled the door open and closed it with a loud wham and Mello yelped, taking huge distance from Near, his face beat red. Apparently, Matt hadn't noticed anything between them, so he immediately started talking to Near. "Near!! The guys want you to come! They have awesome games! I told them you like Lego's and toys and puzzles and they have some for you!! They asked if you'd like to come over to their room before going to sleep!!" Matt grinned, holding a bag in his hand. "Look! They just gave me their games! Is that crazy or not? I'd never give away mine though!!" He opened the bag and jumped on his bed, starting to rummage through the games. "Hey Mello! Let's play! Some of these are even new!!"  
Mello cursed at himself in his thoughts. "Yeah.. Sure." He spoke as he looked at Near.  
"….I'll go see those boys then… Goodnight." The boy muttered as he stood up and hurried out of the room. Mello grunted. Near wasn't stupid, he knew what Mello was going to do, of course he knew. But then again, Near had attracted him. Those eyes with their soft sparkling, those soft cheeks he wanted to touch so badly, his cute little nose he wanted to wrinkle and those soft smooth tempting lips. All those thoughts made Mello's stomach go tingling and his legs go weak.

"Hey Matt. What did you guys do over there?"  
"Oh, they just showed me some games and they wanted to know about Near.."  
Mello looked at his friend and raised his eyebrows. 'What's with Near?' he thought.

Two hours had passed and Near still wasn't back. Matt had already gone to sleep, but Mello lay awake in his bed, not able to sleep like his buddy could. He folded his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. His stomach and legs reacting every time he imagined the white haired boy's face in front of him. He sighed and tried to push the image away, but it wouldn't.

He heard a soft click. His eyes immediately aimed at the door. Near tried to sneak in with something that looked like a toy. He took off his clothes to change into his pyjamas.  
Mello could see the boy's legs. They were slender and just as well be a girl's. He stroked his own leg with his foot. It was pretty masculine, but Near looked pretty weak.

Near pulled his pyjama pants on, bending slightly, giving Mello a good sight of his little tush. His buttocks looked like two little cushions and Mello wanted to squeeze them, he bit his lip as fantasies started to fill his mind. Him touching Near, him kissing Near, him hugging Near, him loving Near. In the moonlight Near looked absolutely gorgeous. The boy pulled his pyjama top on, unbuttoned still though. Mello peeked at Near's chest and his belly. The boy buttoned his shirt and sneaked in his bed.  
Mello bit his cushion. He wanted to scream at Near, scream and yell at him for seducing him, but he couldn't. First of all, he knew Near didn't intend to, second of all he would lose Near as a friend, and third Matt would wake up and understand the situation he was in. No, he didn't want that.  
'Well if I can't yell at him, what am I supposed to do? Give in to the seduction?...' He thought, still peeking at the younger boy, who seemed asleep, but of all people Mello knew better than anyone what the difference was between 'seemed' and 'is'.

Giving in Mello slid out of his bed and sneaked to Near's, he gently lifted the blanket and laid face forward to Near. Near's eyes were closed. Mello examined his face. What he saw before was nothing compared to this. In the moonlight Near looked astonishing. He leaned in and gently placed his lips against Nears, just caressing his lips. His eyes dropped half closed, through his lashes he stared at the boy and pressed his lips fully onto the younger's, giving him little kisses now and then. "Mmmph.." "Shhh.." "Mello.. What are you doing?"  
Near opened his eyes. "Just be quiet. Let me have my way." He kissed the young boy again, tasting his lips. "Hey Near.." "Yes?" "Cope with me, will you?.." Near swallowed for a second, Mello could hear it clearly. "How do I do that?..." "Just do what I do.. Do it back.."  
And Near tried. Their lips met in an innocent kiss, again and again. But Mello wanted more. He softly caressed Near's cheek, feeling the softness and smoothness. And he stroked his nose, smiling in the kiss as he felt it. He fiddled with his hair and enjoyed it. He stroked his legs and smiled, his hands slid to the back and he gently squeezed Near's butt.  
Near pushed Mello away. "I don't know what that's for but I don't think that what we're doing is the right thing, Mello."  
"How sure are you?"  
"About 94,6"  
"Then admit to the other 5,4.."

The kissing went on that night, until Near found it boring and fell asleep midway the kissing.  
Mello chuckled and pulled the boy against him, finally feeling tired, as the excitement had left his body and relief replaced it.  
That night, Mello held Near in his arms, and Near… Near tried to turn his butt, afraid of Mello's groping hands.


	4. Getting ready

Mello opened his eyes when he felt something warm hit his face

Mello opened his eyes when he felt something warm hit his face. He heard some shuffling and directed his eyes to his friend who had removed the curtains from in front of the windows giving the sunlight access to the room, and the possibility to hit Mello's face. "Hn…"  
"Hey Blondie!" Matt grinned wide, ruffling his bedhead, "You look great!" He joked, biting his tongue teasingly. The blonde sighed and dropped his head in his pillow. "Get up, lazy-ass. If I wouldn't wake you up, you would stay in bed all day! It's Saturday! We're allowed to go in town, so let's do that! Besides, than we can show Near too!"  
…Near?.. The blonde lifted his head in an instant. "W-Where ís Near?"  
Matt snorted and nodded towards Mello's bed. "Switched places yesterday?" He grinned, "He scared the shit outta me. I though you had turned into an oldie or something, that white hair showing from underneath the covers.."  
Mello rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. _'Strange… I could've sworn he was with me yesterday…. Don't tell me.. it was a dream?..'_ The boy frowned at the thought, he was sure it happened last night. _'He must've gotten away when I fell asleep… If it hadn't happened I wouldn't be sleeping in his bed…'_  
"Why did you wake me up first?" he asked, directing his annoyed gaze to Matt. Matt only grinned. "Because Near just looks so innocent, it freaks me out."  
Mello stepped out of bed and kneeled in front of Near's face, his friend joining him soon after. "Let's wake him up.." Mello grinned. The redhead laughed.

A little hand reached soft skin in an instant. Near kicked the blankets off and his eyes shot open. "Wha?..." He uttered. Mello and Matt were both rolling on the floor laughing at the face of their roommate. "What.. the hell is this?..." Near wiped the substance of his face.

"DOGGYJUICE!!" The Golden Duo yelled, jumped on top of the little boy and started licking his cheeks again. The poor boy yelped in surprise and tried to push his friends off with the little strength he had.. in vain. "Scream little Near! Scream for mercy!!" Mello let out what was supposed to be an evil laugh. But the second he tried to lick Near again, Near caught his tongue between his index finger and his thumb. Matt finding himself in the same situation a few moments later. "What are you? Dogs in heat?" Matt and Mello nodded, trying to grin. Near stared at the boys for a second before letting them go. "AND WE WANT LITTLE LAMB NEAR!! RAWWRR" The redhead and the blonde glomped the boy again, continuing the harassment. Near tried to push them again, but yet again, in vain.

"Oh my God!! Roger!! Roger!! Mello and Matt are teasing Near!!" The boys froze.  
"No! NO WAIT, LINDA!!" Mello stumbled, tripped and landed on the floor in attempt to reach Linda. Matt laughed "I'll go catch her!! Don't you worry!!" And ran after her.  
Mello grunted and cursed. "Fuck. Fucking hell!!" He slammed his fists on the floor, he didn't move and just lay on the floor, face flat against the Persian carpet.  
"Frustrated he's going after her?" Near asked, pulling his pyjama back in it's place. Mello looked back at him over his shoulder and sighed. "Who said I was?"  
"You just look like it. You're always annoyed when Linda is around and Matt talks to her."  
"….. Near just how much information does your little head take, huh?" He grinned and stood up. "C'mon. Get ready, we're going to get some breakfast."  
"But there's only one shower. Aren't you going to take a shower?"  
"…. Wanna take a shower together?" Mello grinned wickedly, rubbing the back of his head.  
The boy shook his head rapidly, his eyes growing wide for a mere second. "You can go first."  
The blonde laughed and walked into the bathroom, not looking back at the little boy who was choosing his clothes for the day ahead.

The blonde boy entered the room again after a while, soft drops dripping off his hair and his hair covering his blue eyes, his hands gripping the towel around his waist. "You're turn.." He mumbled and walked towards the closet. Near nodded and shifted his feet to the bathroom.  
"Make it quick!" He heard Mello shout from the other room. The albino boy shrugged off his oversized silk pyjama and slid off his soft shorts. He let his body sink in the warm water and closed his eyes, softly rubbing his sensitive skin with the cherry scented soap.

"I'm back! You don't need to worry about anything, Mell-…" The redheaded boy walked in, getting a clear sight of his best friend, topless in a pair of leather pants. His hair still moist off the shower. "Hey.." The blonde grinned. Matt swallowed back his drool and smiled, he opened his mouth and let out an attempt to greet him back. A soft mutter escaped his lips. "H-Hey…" Slightly nervous, the boy stretched his arms behind his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling in stead of the upper body of the gorgeous blonde. "What were you saying?"  
"Oh.. Uh.. You don't need to worry about Linda, she won't tell anything.. I just explained it to her.. She was cool about it." Matt mumbled as he studied the chunks of bubble gum on the ceiling, he and Mello had attempted to make an art-piece of bubble gum above their bed. They never finished it. "Oh.." Mello sounded slightly annoyed, Matt could hear. He heard shuffling of clothing and heard Mello laugh. "Why are you looking at the ceiling?"  
"I.. just wondered why we never finished our little handiwork, that's all." The blonde looked up and grinned. "Yeah.. Though it looks like pink puke to me now…" They both laughed and Matt was able of looking normally at his best friend again, who was now wearing a black sweater and a towel on his head. "Don't be so awkward on me again! I thought Linda had done something to you, you know?!" Mello hit Matt's arm, making the redhead grab to his arm. "Ouch! Damn! I wasn't being awkward!!" "Yes you were! Don't you try to talk back to me!" "Yes mistress!! I'm sorry, mistress!!" Matt grinned, and bowed. "ON YOUR KNEES!!"  
Mello cackled an evil laugh and threw his head back, looking like the evil genius of the century. "Isn't that a little dirty?" "…. Yeah, never mind." And the room was filled with sounds of joy again.

Near closed the door behind him and walked into his room, wearing a bathrobe (which was at least two sizes too big) and a towel he carried in his hand. The two other boys didn't notice and kept on practicing wrestling moves on each other. Only until they heard a slight thud of a bathrobe they looked up. The soft light coloured skin of the little boy was exposed all over.  
Mello gulped away a big chunk that had placed its self in his throat and tried to rip his eyes away from the boy, in vain. His eyes were as if they were glued onto the boy. Next to him, Matt whistled. "I'd like a few pounds of that meat.." He grinned. Mello nodded. "Yeah.. Me too.."  
"What meat?" Near turned around as he pulled his white briefs on. Matt snickered and winked. "Your ass, of course." The little boy raised his eyebrows on the response and turned back to dress himself quickly. _'What is it with these guys? Are they butt-obsessed?_' Near couldn't help but to wonder at that question he had asked himself and he was anxious to ask the other two. He just couldn't conclude it..

_A/N: Hello everyone! This is the first author's note of these series. I hope you enjoy the story so far. As for this note: I'm going to let you decide what's going to happen when they're in town. So please leave a review telling me what you would like to read and when I think I can make something out of it, I will certainly write it! Thank you for your attention! – Soul the Second_


	5. Breakfast and Sexuality

Mello tapped his fingers on the wooden edge of his bed as he watched Near dress

Mello tapped his fingers on the wooden edge of his bed as he watched Near dress. The boy that closed his drawers turned his face to the other two. "I'm done" he confirmed. Matt grinned. "Good, let's go!"  
Mello frowned. "You're going in your pyjama's?" Near looked down and tugged his big shirt. "They're comfortable, I don't like tight clothing.." The blonde clacked his tongue, stood up and walked to his closet. "No way I'm letting you in town like that.." He mumbled as he pulled a black sweater and a pair of jeans out of a drawer. "Wear this." He said as he threw the clothes towards the boy, which landed on top of his head. Near sighed softly and slid off his pants. _'Maybe they just want to see my butt again… I should ask Roger to switch rooms..'_ He took off his shirt and dressed in the warm, soft sweater that smelled like new, clean laundry. Near shivered at the warmth, the sweater was indeed way better than his pyjama top. The boy pulled on the jeans, but tripped over the pipes and fell. His face hit something soft, he looked up and saw Matt grinning. "Good thing I have fast reflexes!"  
Near stared back down at the pillow Matt pushed underneath his head. "Th-thank you…" He muttered. The redhead grinned again. "No problem… How about a kiss as a reward?"  
"What?! Matt, no way!!" The blonde protested from the other side of the room.  
"Aw, come on! Just one.. Please, Near?" He clapped his hands together and put on his puppy eyes. Near sighed. "Okay…" He whispered as he planted his soft lips on top of Matt's.  
"GAH!! NO WAY!!" Mello stumbled over to the pair and watched it happen.  
Near broke the kiss and stared at Mello. "Eh?...What way?..."  
"I… I mean…. I…. I WANT ONE TOO!!" He yelled as he pulled the small boy roughly by his shirt in for a kiss. Matt sighed softly and tapped his lips. "Wow… So soft…"  
Near again broke the kiss and stared at the two boys sighing in bliss. "…. Are we still going?" He asked more to himself than to the others.

"HELLOOOOOO FREE WORLD!!" Mello shouted as he stretched his arms. "Ahhh.. Feels good to be outside.."  
Matt grinned as he held Near's hand, guiding him through the crowded town. Near kept looking around all the while, his eyes shifting from left to right as he watched all the people walking around him, he saw a girl playing with a dog , he saw a couple quarrel, he saw a fat woman doing her groceries, he saw a business man talking on his phone looking angry, he saw a family, sitting at a terrace, having breakfast together. What the boy saw made him feel unsafe and troubled. He didn't express it, but the redhead walking in front of him looked back and winked. He felt another hand wrap it's self around Near's. He looked up at Mello, who grinned at him and leaned his head against his own. That's right… Mello and Matt were with him. He wasn't alone in this crowded place. He sighed softly.  
"Wanna do what the family is doing?" The blonde smiled.  
"Eh?... What family?" Near looked questioning at Mello.  
"The one you were looking at, at the terrace…"  
Near stared at Mello for a while. _'How does he know?..' _ "O-Okay…" The boy stammered. The blonde grinned and softly squeezed Near's hand. Near couldn't help but to notice that Mello's palms were getting a little clammy.

Matt yawned. "Nothing's better than having nice breakfast at this place. It's the best!"  
"They don't have chocolate cereal though…" Mello complained and rest his chin on his palm.  
Near looked at the two and gazed back at the menu card in front of him.  
"Oi, what's wrong?" The chocoholic patted the albino's head.  
"…. I've… Never done this before…" The boy hid his troubled face behind the menu.  
The Golden Duo laughed. "That's okay. Just tell me what you like, I always order anyway." Matt grinned as he folded his hands behind his head. Near smiled and nodded.  
"I'm going to take the cereal and two cups of hot chocolate milk." Mello claimed, licking his lips at the thought of the hot warm sweet liquid good.

"Addict. I'm going to have.. A double cheese toast with coffee. What about you Near?"  
Near wrapped his arms around his stomach and pulled his feet up on the chair. "... Can I have a brie sandwich?" He asked. Mello snorted. "Why couldn't you? Idiot."  
Matt snickered. "What do you want to drink?" Near touched his nose and seemed to be thinking. "…. Warm milk?"  
The redhead nodded and put his hand in the air. "Waiter!"

"Ohhh Yesss…" Mello whispered as he put one of the cups of hot choco in his cereal. "I'm such a genius" He stated and stuffed his mouth full of the cereal, which now tasted like chocolate. He moaned at the sensation. "Ohhh yeaaaahhh..."  
Near stared in awe as he saw Mello drown in ecstasy. Matt laughed. "Don't mind him. Chocolate is like sex to him." Near slowly nodded and nibbled on his sandwich.  
_'How can chocolate be alike to sexual intercourse?'_ In his mind he kept asking this question to himself over and over, yet he could not find the answer. _'These people are strange.. I cannot figure them out..'_  
Matt sighed as he finished his toast. "Hey, Mello. It sort of surprised me you wanted to come along.. I mean.. We have a test on Monday"  
Mello smirked. "Che. I already studied on that, ever since last week." The redhead laughed at the reply. "Geek" He grinned.  
Near sipped his milk as he overheard the conversation. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't there when they got the test and neither did he know about their studying habits. He felt once again out of place. He tugged the collar of Mello's sweater in front of his mouth and felt the warmth slide over to his lips. He didn't want to draw too much attention anyway.  
"Hey Near, do you have to do the test too?" Matt turned towards Near. "Huh?... Excuse me?" He whispered, looking like he just woke up. Matt snickered. "I asked you if you have to do the test on Monday too"  
Near blinked. "What test?..."  
"Guess not.. Lucky bastard" Matt stuck out his tongue. Mello chuckled. "Are you going to follow classes too?"  
Near nodded. "Roger told me about that… I don't know which class though… And I haven't got any books yet, either.."  
"Aw, I bet you'll be in our class, 'cause you're so smart. That would be awesome. Then you can sit next to me and Mello will have to sit next to Linda."  
" NO WAY I'M SITTING NEXT TO MS. I-LIKE-TO-KISS-ROGER'S-ASS!!" Mello yelled, chomping aggressively on his cereal.  
"Eh?.. Why does Mello hate Linda?"  
"Because she is a bitch."  
"Translated: Because she always got me into trouble by telling Roger what I did." Matt grinned.  
Mello gulped his cup of hot choco down his throat and slammed the cup on the table. "Okay! We had food! Let's stop about Linda and go walk!"  
Matt frowned and crossed his arms "He doesn't like talking about her either."  
Near finished his milk and nibbled the last pieces of his brie sandwich before wiping the crumbles off of his sweater before standing up, Matt following his example.  
"On mr. Roger's treat again, Matt?" A waiter asked. Matt nodded. "Yeah, thank you for the good meal again. Goodbye."

The three boys walked around town, hands linked. Matt on the left, Near in the middle and Mello on the right. Three of them looking around. "Hey, wait a sec!" Mello paused in his tracks. "I wanna see my baby again.." He muttered and walked towards a showcase.  
Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh God, here we go again.." Near looked questioning at Matt, who just sighed in response. "One day I'm going to wear you!" Mello put his hands on the glass and stared at a pair of leather jeans, laces at the front.  
"Mello, those jeans… Are really really gay…" Matt looked a little annoyed.  
"Shut up, Matt! I ám gay! So that's no problem at all!" Mello replied.  
"..Mello is gay?..." The little albino boy touched his nose as he watched the two.  
An awkward silence fell in the middle of the three. Mello could hear a girl squeal in the distance while he was searching for words to say. "Well…"  
Matt scratched the back of his head. "You see.. Near…" He sighed. "Near, there are a few men, that don't like being with women… They are called homo's. Or gay. The point is.. Mello is one of them and as you can see, Mello is normal… sometimes. So there is no need to worry about that is there?" The redhead tried to explain, putting on a smile. "Just.. Keep it between us, okay?"  
Near blinked. "I know what gay is, Matt. I was just surprised that Mello liked men instead of women. I at least would have thought of him as bisexual, but not gay…"  
Matt coughed. "Oh… Well. He isn't bisexual, I am. Mello is gay."  
Near blinked. "Okay…."  
Mello turned red as he looked off. "Look, whatever, okay? Just don't tell!!"  
Near nodded. "Alright…"

Mello and Matt sighed in unison as they walked on. This time, it was the little boy that stood still. The boys looked back. Near was staring at a colourful store, a toystore.  
"Eh? Near, you wanna go in there?" Matt asked, looking in the store through a window.  
"Can I?... I just want to look…"  
"Sure, peepsqeauk. Why not?" Mello ruffled Near's hair and walked in the store.  
Mello looked at Near, and he looked very different. His eyes got a certain sparkle in stead of his always deep, empty eyes. His eyes were wide, exploring the whole place, little toys, big toys, plushies, puzzles, everything. Mello leaned against a wall and looked at the small being looking more free and comforted.  
"Enjoying the view?" Matt asked. Mello smirked and folded his arms. "Yeah…"  
Matt smiled and followed Mello's actions, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. "Mello… Are you in love with Near?..."


	6. Number 1 is forbidden love

Mello turned his gaze at Matt and stared wide-eyed at him. In his mind the whole world was spinning, and for a second he panicked. _'Why am I panicking? Stop panicking!!'_  
Mello snickered and hit Matt's arm. "No way, dork. What? Jealous?" He grinned widely.  
Matt sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, reaaallly jealous" He grinned.  
Mello laughed, though in his heart he felt a pain. _'I'm sorry, Matt, that's the first time I lied to you like this…'_

After that day Mello started to avoid being with Near from time to time. Afraid to show any 'unnecessary' emotions.

Weeks past and Near joined their class. To Mello's surprise, in no time, he was kicked off of his throne. The number one spot he adored so much was taken away from him within the blink of an eye. Near had taken that sweet place as if it were nothing to him.  
Yet Mello could not find himself to hate the boy… yet.

As the time had passed, so had the seasons changed. It had started to snow and preparations were starting to be made for Christmas already.  
Mello was staring out of the window one afternoon, staring at the kids, playing in the snow.  
Matt had also gone outside, calling Mello a geek for staying in and studying. _'I still want my spot back. I have to work harder for it.'_ he kept telling himself. This was not a small matter to him. It was L. That was motivation enough.  
He looked around in the empty library until he spotted a whole pile of books in front of someone. Just when Mello was about to ask who this person was, he saw the top of the person's head, white hair. It was none other than the number one Near himself.

Feeling guilty of ignoring Near for something he couldn't do anything about, he stood up and walked towards him. "Hey…" He muttered. Near looked up with his deep dark eyes and smiled lightly. "Oh… Hello Mello…" He muttered and looked back in his books.  
Mello bit his lip. He had gotten the cold shoulder, and he deserved it.  
"Hey…"  
"Yes?"  
"Is it okay if I sit with you?"  
"Oh….. Well… I can't stop you from doing so, Mello."  
Mello nodded and sat down next to Near. "So…. What have you been doing lately?"  
Near didn't look up from his books anymore. "Studying."  
"Oh.. Well… Okay.. Me too… As you can see.." Mello shook his head. He felt stupid and this awkward silence was killing him. Near somehow managed to get cold every time he had ignored him.

"Hey Near, look I'm sorry…"  
"For what, Mello?"  
_'Goddamnit. Now he's making me say it too…'_ Mello gritted his teeth.  
"Well…"  
"Mello, whatever you did, you probably did it for a reason of which you don't like me to know about. Because, Mello is that kind of person."  
The blonde sighed as he unwrapped a bar of chocolate. The tension had dropped just by one sentence. He didn't know how Near was able to play with him like this. And he doubted Near himself knew what he did.  
"Want some?" He asked as he held the bar of chocolate in front of Near's face. Near opened his mouth, only to put them around the chocolatey goods. He sucked softly and bit.  
Mello flinched as he felt the chocolate being sucked while he was still holding it. He let go as soon as Near took a hold of it with his teeth.  
He grabbed a new bar of chocolate and ate it. Side by side the two munched on their bars of chocolate.  
_'It's silent, but it isn't awkward… He looks a little more pale than before though..'_

"Mello….."  
Mello blinked for a second and looked at the little boy sitting next to him. "What's up?"  
"Is this the last conversation we'll have for a while again?"  
Mello looked at the table. "I … guess so…"

"Hey…. Near…"  
"Yes, Mello?"

The blonde planted his lips on the smaller boy's lips. Giving him small butterfly kisses and feeling him trying to cooperate. Mello could feel his body grow hot like it was on fire. His body had desired for this moment. Near's lips, Near's hair, Near's nose, Near's eyes, Near's slim waist… Near..  
He let go of Near. Little Lamb Near. "I'm sorry…" He muttered, "I didn't mean to.. Near…. Don't tell this to anyone, okay?"  
Near nodded. Mello sighed and stood up. "I… won't be seeing you anymore."  
_'I can't let anyone know.. Not him. Not the number one. Not my roommate, not my friend. I have to do this… '_  
Mello walked out of the library, out of the building and into the snow.  
Near stayed in the library, staring out of the window. His deep dark orbs scanning the winter scenery. In the white layered space, a black spot stained the whiteness. It was Mello. Their eyes connected. But only for a second. Mello turned his back. _I'm sorry…_


	7. Jinglebells and loneliness

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaaay~"  
Mello's ears were filled with the overfamous Christmas songs, filling the common room. Kids were sitting near the fire or surrounded the Christmas tree. A few intensely discussed what they would get as their Christmas gift. Mello seated himself on a couch, next to Matt, of course. It didn't matter how hard the blonde tried to ignore the albino boy, in his mind he could hear an annoying voice yell at him, telling him Near was sitting all alone in a corner, playing with his toys. Mello munched on a Santa formed chocolate bar as his eyes shifted through the room, examining the happy children, the tree, the happy decorated room, the lights and Near sitting in a corner. He sighed. "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way.  
This fucking song is stuck in my head today~" he muttered. Matt looked up at Mello and snickered. "Getting in the mood for Christmas, I see!" he snorted.  
"Well, it's true. Right?" Matt nodded as an answer. Mello sighed. The evening dragged on, Mello fell asleep for a good 15 minutes. When he woke up, he told Matt he would sleep and went to his room. There, he saw Near sitting in front of the glass window that went to the balcony. He had fallen asleep like that. Mello stared at the boy, lifted him and put him in his bed. In his mind he was forcing himself to act cold, even though the boy wouldn't notice, since he was asleep.  
Mello dressed to his pyjama's and stepped in bed. A little happy with the fact he got to touch Near, he closed his eyes and went to sleep. If only a worry-free relationship with Near could be his Christmas gift.

That morning he woke up by Matt's screaming. "OH MYGOD!! OH MY DEAR GOD!! I LOVE SANTA!! THAT FATHEAD!! I LOVE HIM!! MELLLOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"  
The redhead sat on top on Mello and bounced up and down, too active in the morning.

"I got--… GOD I GOT--- MELLO YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!" Matt gasped between his words, as if it was hard to breathe for him. All he could do was squeal the name of his best friend and bounce up and down… Until Mello was sick of it.  
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ALREADY, DAMNIT?!!!" The blonde burst.  
Unfortunately, it did not wreck the redhead's mood as he nearly shoved something in his face.

"I GOT A GAMEBOY ADVANCE SP!!! AN SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, ES-PEEEEEEEEE~" He squealed again, like a delighted little girl. Mello smacked him with a pillow.

After yapping and pushing Matt out of his room, Mello dressed and walked to the Great Hall. Everywhere he looked he saw happy children, busy with showing off their gifts or praising Santa Clause. The blonde yawned, scratched his head and walked to the Christmas Tree.  
He kneeled down and searched for his present. He found a square box, picked it up and sat down somewhere quiet. Matt rushed to him again. "What did you get?! WHAT DID YOU GET?!"  
Mello scratched behind his ear and opened the box. In the box, there was a large pile of brand chocolate. The letters 'La Bleu Royale' filled his eyes. His mouth started to water. He was expecting chocolate, but he didn't know it would be the chocolate he was saving money for!  
He stared at it for a good 5 minutes, at the least before Matt broke the silence. "E-Erm.. Mello?... You're drooling.." He muttered, keeping his laugh in.  
"E-Ehn?.. Oh.. Sorry.." He muttered and wiped his drool away. After getting over his heavenly shock, Mello finally, with shaking hands, unwrapped a bonbon. He plucked it with his lips and shivered at the new sensation. "Oh dear Lord.." He muttered as licked it.  
Matt laughed. "Merry Christmas, Mellanie" He grinned.

Without classes he upcoming days for the ones that did not need extra classes, Mello had the free time he didn't have for quite some time. On Christmas Day he baked chocolate cookies with Matt, played along with everyone else's toys, watched sappy Christmas movies and ate a delicious Christmas dinner. He hid his 'La Bleu Royale' chocolate on a secret place. He decided he would eat only one for every special occasion, that way, he figured, he would save up a lot of chocolate.

All the while, when Mello was baking his cookies, played with toys, watched sappy movies and ate Christmas dinner, Near was in the library. With all his physical strength, he had pushed all the table and chairs to the side. While Mello was walking, talking, laughing and eating with others, Near was solving the biggest and hardest puzzle he had ever seen, the puzzle it's self was bigger than Near. It was completely blank, unlike his other puzzle, where he had an 'L' in the corner. He spent all his day, filling the library ground with his tremendous puzzle pieces. That day, Near felt a little colder than usual. _'How can it be that I cannot solve this puzzle?..'_

---

The next morning Mello woke up on his own in stead of being waken up by Matt.  
_'That idiot actually had to take the extra lessons. Stupid slacker.' _Mello grinned and rolled out of bed, he stood up and saw a lump like form in one of the beds. Near still hadn't woken up. Mello shrugged, went to the bathroom and took a shower. He let the warm water wash over him as his thoughts cleared instantly. It was like a fresh dive.

After taking a shower he dressed himself in his trademark black and walked out of his room, the moment he did. He saw kids running hurriedly past him. With a frown he followed them, he needed to quicken his pace to keep track of the group. He ended in the library. "Yo, what the hell is wrong?" Mello asked. "Mello! Look at this!" A kid yelled and the blonde got pushed forward, in his new clear view, he could see a completed puzzle. It was clear that the puzzle used to be blank. But it was covered with coloured markers. The huge puzzle was used like a sheet of paper and there was a drawing of it. The drawing clearly (although it was very childishly drawn) resembled a family. A mother and father linked by the child in between them. All of them were smiling. And the boy in the middle painfully reminded Mello of Near.  
It was not only Mello who noticed that the drawing gave a vibe of sadness.  
A lot of kids looked either sad or confused of what to say, but the person that felt it the most was clearly Linda, tears were running down her eyes as she kept gazing at the gigantic puzzle.

Linda was sitting on the floor, on her knees, fingers slightly touching the puzzle. "Merry Christmas" she muttered. "What?" The blonde kneeled beside her. "Merry Christmas… it says…" She muttered as she pointed out to the small messy writing in one of the corners.  
The crowd was abruptly scattered by an old man. Roger came in and asked everyone to leave.

The old man softly rubbed the young girl's back and comforted her. "Mello, will you please take Linda to her room?" The kind man asked. Mello nodded obediently and supported Linda out of the library. Roger was left alone. "Oh dear…." He sighed.


	8. Puzzle

Months had passed and Mello had felt the difference clearly. It seemed like Near's soul had disappeared into nothingness. His eyes were cold and did not show the mysterious warmth anymore. The blonde couldn't even remember the last time he had heard his voice, presentations for school were exceptions. Near's grades were the highest ever, and at the same time he was the coldest ever. Whenever Mello saw him he was reading or studying.

"Tch."  
".. It's nagging you isn't it?"  
"It so is not!"  
"……… Mello."  
"… Maybe a little.."  
Matt sighed and shook his head. "Why the sudden change?"  
"Why do you think, that puzzle clearly had something to do with it…"  
"… Now that I think of it, I can't remember him being with the rest of us when we were doing the Christmas activities..?"  
"Well, yeah….." He muttered.  
"You're going to talk to him, aren't you?"  
"Yup."  
"….. You're implying something…"  
"Maybe…" Mello grinned.

After leaving the room and Matt behind, he walked to Roger's office. He knocked twice before entering without waiting for an answer. "Hey Roger!" He smiled. "Ah, Mello… What brings you here?... You didn't get in any trouble again, did you?"  
"Nope! I promise! I came to ask you something."  
"What is it?"  
"Do you have more of those blank puzzles?"

….

After lunch, Mello walked out of the dining room alone. Matt was busy discussing something with Linda, and Mello took the opportunity to get away and search for Near. It wasn't hard to find him. He was in the library. Again.  
"Hey…" Mello held his hand up as a greeting.  
No answer. The blonde sat next to the albino as an awkward silence fell and Mello wasn't fond of them. So he did what was best to halt the silence. Straightforwardness.  
"The drawing on the puzzle. Was it your family?"  
The albino looked up. "……No. It was how my family was supposed to be."  
Mello scratched his head. "Alright.. I guess." He unwrapped a bar of chocolate. "So, are you homesick?"  
Near opened his mouth and closed it again. Instead, he sighed. "It's hard to feel homesick if you don't have a home…"  
Mello snorted. "Wise-ass."  
The two boys looked each other in the eye, for the first time in a long while. A silence fell again. Something awakened inside of Mello. The passion he felt for Near had slumbered in the back of his head, but by simply looking the boy in his eyes again made the passion in him roar with desire. He felt his heart beat faster against his ribcage. It made him feel alive. If only he could give that feeling of life to Near…

"Hey Near…."  
"Yes, Mello?"  
"Let's do a puzzle together again."

"You can't just sit and weep about stuff that happened in the past. It's over. Fresh start. You're here now, you're one of us."  
"…. I know that Mello."  
"Than why the change? Why the cold eyes? Why won't you talk to anyone anymore? Why did you ditch Megatron? He's lonely you know? Matt's trying to keep him company, but he sucks at playing with Transformers.."  
The boy smiled. Near smiled. It made Mello's heart jump.  
The blonde leaned his chin on his head. The albino looked back at his book again.  
Someone tapped the albino on his right shoulder, Near turned to look at the person, but no one was there, when he turned back he felt another pair of lips on his. He was tricked.  
Mello was kissing Near.  
The little boy felt he book that he was holding slip from his fingers. All the strength in his body had left him and refused to return. All his senses were sharp and he could clearly feel Mello's body close to his. The small distance between them was raided quickly as Mello pulled Near on his lap. It felt warm and secure. The albino held the blondes face in his hands and kissed back.

Shortly after the soft kissing turned into tongues colliding. It was an intense kiss. Mello's desire was satisfied, his whole body felt warm and tingly and he could swear there were literally butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He slowly let go of the boy, both of them were panting. They looked each other in the eye. Mello smiled. "I've got something for you…" He whispered. "What is it?"  
The blonde held the wrapped box in front of Near. The albino took it. "Well, go ahead and open it."  
Near took off the wrapping paper carefully. The box was blank. He opened it. It was a puzzle.  
"….. A puzzle?" He questioned.  
Mello nodded and grinned. "Yeah, go ahead and solve it."  
Near glanced at Mello before scattering the pieces on the table and placing the first piece. It was not a hard puzzle. It was actually quite simple. Once he had solved it he was staring at two figures holding hands, one that looked awfully much like himself and the other was a blonde figure holding a chocolate bar.. _A heart was drawn above them_.


End file.
